Mission

Our mission is to provide our participants with exceptional athletic development training, therapeutic recovery massage, and educational consultation with the goal of attaining postsecondary success in education and sustainable careers and employment.

Vision

  • By helping those who lack the information and exposure taken for granted by those with access, we advocate educational equity.

  • By assisting those overlooked in their current educational settings, we support school choice.

  • By helping those who risk being exploited for their athletic abilities with little thought given to their education, we change their life trajectories. We develop athletic intelligence.

Goals

  • Place 25 student-athletes in boarding school for each school application cycle.

  • Train 25 athletes to increase their athletic ability and capability through our summer program.
  • Expand our partnership with Speakwell and provide training for 25 participants in public speaking.

Our Story

Since 2008, our for-profit agencies Guerrilla Prince Athletics & Guerrilla Prince Consulting have provided athletic development training for our scholar-athletes, giving them the space and guidance to grow and advance through their athletic talents. Through these efforts, we give our young people access to training and consulting services that encourage, enrich, and enable school choice, exposing student-athletes and their families to post-secondary educational opportunities. Our consultraining – sports performance training combined with athletic and educational consulting services – helps participants and their families discover or develop better educational outcomes through athletics. Participants foster their talents and use them as a means for financial stability throughout their postsecondary educational and professional endeavors.

Over the years, underserved and underrepresented communities – particularly those of color – who have many talented and gifted scholar-athletes have been positively impacted by our programming but have struggled to afford the costs of the programming. As a response, in 2016, Guerrilla Prince Athletics & Guerrilla Prince Consulting expanded into GP In The Midst, Inc., which seeks to disrupt the standardized high school experience currently available to low-income and marginalized students.

By focusing on talent, skill, and commitment, GP In The Midst provides our young people – beginning in middle school through undergraduate and other postsecondary pathways – with the tools, skills, and resources to exceed, both academically and athletically. Through our unique approach, executed through education, athleticism, and mentoring, we guide student-athletes and their families through the recruitment, application, selection, decision, and financial aid processes associated with applying to high school and college. Within our community, we have engaged with numerous talented students who are either being overlooked academically or taken advantage of athletically, who lack the affordable resources to guide them onto a pathway of academic and athletic success. GP In The Midst is nourishing and developing participants educationally, personally, and professionally.

From initial enrollment to successful postsecondary education and career placement, GP In The Midst remains hands-on and in consistent contact with our young people and their families. With this being their first-time experience going through an admissions process, our team is there to provide step-by-step guidance when applying to an educational institution, such as an independent day or boarding school.

WITH A 95% SUCCESS RATE, IN THE MIDST ENCOURAGES SCHOLARS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR MINDS AND BODIES FOR COMPETITION IN LIFE AND ON THE PLAYING FIELD.

WITH A 95% SUCCESS RATE, IN THE MIDST ENCOURAGES SCHOLARS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR MINDS AND BODIES FOR COMPETITION IN LIFE AND ON THE PLAYING FIELD.

Meet the leaders

DERRICK BELL
DERRICK BELLFounder & CO-CEO
Derrick Bell has spent years developing and maintaining relationships with boarding schools, colleges, and universities across the country. Bell’s experience and expertise have improved athletes’ physical competence, provided basic and advanced skill development, and have grown the confidence scholar-athletes have in their physical and mental abilities.
KIMBERLEY DOWNER
KIMBERLEY DOWNERCO-CEO & Director
Kimberley Downer’s expertise promotes health and wellness, injury prevention and treatment, consulting services, and mentoring. Downer handles management, administrative duties, human resource management, and social media handling of the organization.

Meet the team

Deiwy Cruz
Deiwy CruzGraphic & Web Designer
Deiwy Cruz “Dave”, an independent contractor who is our Graphic and Web Designer. Cruz is responsible for creating our websites and assisting with product design. Currently, Cruz owns and operates DeCruz Design – decruzdesign.com and myWPcover.com, and comes with over 10 years of experience working with WordPress, in addition to over 15 years of experience creating unique, fast and secure websites. Cruz is a friend and colleague of over 20 years, having created Guerrilla Prince Athletics’ original brochure, website, and YouTube pages. We rely on and appreciate his creativity, professionalism, and multimedia guidance.
decruzdesign.com
mywpcover.com
Deiona Monroe
Deiona MonroeGrants & Development Consultant
Deiona Monroe is a self-taught Grant Consultant from Harlem, NYC. In just a little over 2 years, she’s grown from freelancing as a Grant Writer + Researcher to running the Grants and Development Department of several non-profit organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science + Criminal Justice from Temple University and several Certificates in Grant Writing, Management, and Development from Temple. Additionally, she’s earned a certificate in Financial Success for Nonprofits from Cornell University. Since 2019, she has assisted with securing over $6M in grants and donations and continues to use her talents to help others secure even more.

monroetheguru.com

Jean Paul Deshong
Jean Paul DeshongGraphic Designer
Jean Paul Deshong does graphic design work for GP In the Midst, Inc. as an independent contractor. For 8 years, Deshong has been responsible for creating logos for our brand and organization and is a lifelong friend and supporter of Guerrilla Prince Consulting and GP In the Midst, Inc. Deshong is the creator and founder of blackberryjuice PUBLISHING and holds a BFA in Illustration and Cartooning from The School of Visual Arts, NY. You can find his work at blackberryjuice.net
Corwin Spivey
Corwin SpiveyInterview Prep Coordinator
Corwin Spivey, an independent contractor, serves as our Interview Prep Coordinator. Spivey is the Senior Career Navigator at Phipps Neighborhoods and has worked for 30 years in the Workforce Development sector. Spivey’s partnership with GP In the Midst, Inc. is one year old, and over his time here Spivey has prepared our candidates for their interviews by holding mock interviews via Zoom. He asks questions and coaches our candidates on response style and critiques their content, with interviewing and presenting being critical components to making a positive impression makes Spivey an integral part of our team. Spivey holds a BS in accounting from Lehman College, NY.

Their unique combination of sports performance training and educational consulting, called , Consultraining™ helps families find or create better academic situations for their scholars through athletics.

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